Tag Archives: Kamrin Baker

Whether it’s the Game Show Network, Trivial Pursuit, or a simple spat among friends trying to decide who won the House Cup in Harry Potter, know-it-alls pervade our popular culture—and local bars know how to capitalize on them.

Pub quizzes have become a beloved form of social drinking as patrons snag friends with similar interests to join a team (and hopefully win a few prizes). Some quizzes are represented by America’s Pub Quiz—a nationwide entertainment company dedicated to scheduling such events—while others allow patrons to delight in the local touches of Omaha-owned businesses running the show. Prepare your buzzers, order a pitcher, and get your game face on at the following establishments.

Liquid Sunshine

Enjoy a trivia showdown before or after a movie (at the attached Alamo Drafthouse). For every general trivia night, Liquid Sunshine hosts many more that are dedicated to fan favorites like Game of Thrones, Parks and Recreation, The Office, or Star Wars. The pub quiz schedule varies—usually Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays once a month at 8 p.m. Find updated quiz times on Liquid Sunshine’s Facebook page.

Spielbound

Every night is Trivia Mafia if you grab Trivial Pursuit off the shelf at Spielbound, but the real deal is hosted each Wednesday at 8 p.m. The rules are easy: teams of one to six, entry is the cost of a day pass (or free for members), and the taps are flowing. While Spielbound has a stock of esteemed beers, non-alcoholic drinks are also available for the younger crowd. Prizes such as free day passes, gift cards, free drinks, and the honor of choosing the playlist for the next week’s event are awarded to the top two teams.

5168 Taproom

New to the Midtown Crossing scene, 5168 is a hop, skip, and a drink away from Spielbound. Trivia is on the calendar for 6 p.m. every Sunday, with general and random questions. Prizes are given to the top three winning teams: first place gets a $20 gift card, second place gets a $10 gift card, and third place gets a free growler of beer to take home.

Two Fine Irishmen

Two Fine Irishmen might just be Omaha’s pub quiz four-leaf clover, with two trivia nights every week. Wednesday games start at 7:30 p.m. with $1 tacos, as well as discounted beers and shots all night, while Sunday games begin at 7 p.m. with nacho and drink specials. First place takes home a $40 gift card, second place snags a $20 gift card, and third place gets a $10 gift card.

Pageturners Lounge

In honor of the former bookstore’s namesake, pub quizzes at Pageturners Lounge focus on literary topics. Whether you’ve read all the classics, want to test your reading comprehension, or think you can nail down the Dewey Decimal System, this one is for you. Attend on the first Wednesday of every month at 8 p.m. Winners receive gift cards from various local businesses around Omaha.

The Down Under Lounge

Complete with homemade tacos and queso dip, the Down Under Lounge holds a homegrown trivia night every Tuesday at 8 p.m., hosted by the one-and-only “Captain o’ Fun,” Spencer Barak. The kicker? The last trivia night of each month is specially themed, and every Tuesday evening leads directly to group karaoke in the lounge. Teams: six members max. First place prize: a $50 bar tab. Competition: friendly.

This article was printed in the September/October 2018 edition of Omaha Magazine.To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

Cameron McClarty—Contributing Videographer

Cameron McClarty is a young, driven, creative artist who rarely sleeps. His mind is always racing with new and different ideas on how his creativity can be shared with the widest audience. A native of Omaha, most of his education was spent in Catholic school, where discipline was taught to be second-nature. Earning a degree from Metropolitan Community College in video-audio communications art gave him the motivation to keep his vision alive and moving in a positive direction. McClarty continues to follow his passion as a videographer, photographer, graphic designer, editor, animator, and creative director. He recently began a full-time career at Kreative Element and is enjoying every minute of it.

Kamrin Baker—Editorial Intern

Kamrin Baker is majoring in journalism and media communications and minoring in women’s and gender studies at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. This fall semester, she is the digital editor for the Gateway Newspaper, but in the past she has written for publications such as HuffPost, MTV News, and Gloria Steinem’s Women’s Media Center. When she is not buried in sources and stylebooks, Baker enjoys spending time with family and friends, practicing yoga, traveling, rewatching Parks and Recreation on Netflix, petting dogs, and taking naps. She is vocal about issues that affect her, such as gender equality and the destigmatization of mental illness, and works tirelessly to tell stories that matter. After graduation, she hopes to use her passions to amplify the voices of women (including her own) via creative storytelling and unique leadership.

Patrick Mainelli—Contributing Writer

Patrick Mainelli is a writer and photographer living in Omaha. He is a graduate of the UNO English Department and works as communications manager at The Union for Contemporary Art. His nonfiction, which often explores the natural and human landscapes of Omaha and surrounding areas, has appeared in the journals Fourth Genre, The New Territory, and New OhioReview among others, and has been featured on the public radio program Living on Earth. He is currently at work on a photo and essay series on the home site of James Baldwin—“Hermit Jim”—in Bellevue’s Fontenelle Forest. His writing and photography can be found at patrickmainelli.com.

Sophia Galardi—Sales Assistant

Sophia Galardi was born and raised in Papillion with her two brothers and one sister. This animal lover grew up with a dog, five cats, horses, chickens, bees, canaries, and pigeons. Galardi is a senior at UNO, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies with concentrations in general administration, communications, and gerontology. She also works as a suite attendant at Baxter Arena. Galardi lives in an apartment with her 84-year-old grandma, and together, they enjoy laughing at silly things, getting pedicures, and eating watermelon. When she isn’t studying or spending time with Grandma, she can be found spending time with her boyfriend, thrift store shopping, working out, and watering her 30 plants. Galardi dreams of being a mom and owning a dog.

This article was printed in the September/October 2018 edition of Omaha Magazine.To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

The common trajectory for aspiring journalists is that you work at the school newspaper, get into college, work at that college paper, graduate, then take a lowly entry-level job somewhere and work your way up from there. Then, after years of amassing a portfolio, maybe, just maybe, you can get a gig at a place like The Huffington Post.

But thanks to a quick reply to a call for contributors on The Huffington Post’s Twitter feed, Kamrin Baker, 18, pole-vaulted past all those traditional, dues-paying markers and landed a spot as a contributor for the popular news site…all while still working on the high school yearbook at Millard West, where she’s a senior. She co-edits the yearbook with Keegan Holmes (also a senior).

The first major news story Baker remembered was the September 11 terrorist attacks. She was a pre-schooler in 2001. In kindergarten, Baker said she wrote a picture book, and in third grade, she brought stories to her Georgia Wheeler Elementary class.

Now sitting with her mother, Grace, at Stories Coffeehouse, Baker says she originally thought about being an English teacher.

“Then, I started realizing I was really impatient. And don’t love children. Or ignorance,” Baker says.

Baker has written blogs both serious (a call for schools to better handle mental health issues) and not (a eulogy to Parks and Recreation). Like many Huffington Post bloggers, she is an unpaid contributor. However, the freedom to write about the topics she wants, and the site’s flexibility with her busy schedule, were worthy trade-offs for her.

“I’m not super keen on the politics and the economy of The Huffington Post,” she says, “but I like what they’re doing.”

Stirring a strawberry Italian soda, Baker recalls one of her most popular posts, one about living with anxiety.

Though Baker and her mother went back-and-forth trying to figure out when her first panic attack occurred, Baker definitely remembered the first one that sent her to the school nurse. It was during an intro to behavioral sciences class. She was watching the movie Mockingbird Don’t Sing.

“I was watching it…and then I couldn’t breath. I thought I was just sick,” says Baker.

She went to her teacher, who quickly sent her to the nurse.

“I sat there for an hour, and I just shook,” she recalls. “I had no idea what was going on.”

Baker was diagnosed with panic disorder. She used her position at The Huffington Post to unveil her Joy is Genius campaign, which is an online resource on Tumblr for teenagers struggling with anxiety.

“I’m at a point where I don’t think it’s smart or cool to ignore it,” Baker explains.

In our post-newspaper media landscape, the mode you select is almost as important as the content. Like many savvy journalists, Baker quickly toggles between Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and, yes, even print.

“I usually use Pinterest for yearbook design and dog pictures. I’ll post more comedy-based things (on Twitter). I like Instagram because I can tell more of a story with it. The caption content is longer.”

Baker is currently weighing going to UNL or UNO to study journalism. She’s sure to find new role models in college, but for now, she explains, ”The two people that inspire me the most, and are not on the same spectrum whatsoever, are Diane Sawyer and Taylor Swift.”